Notes

Russia's Shifting Public Opinion on the War in Ukraine
This invasion did, after all, start with him launching an invasion that seemed bound to hurt Russia in the long run. Putin dragged the world into this mess; when and how it gets out of it depends just as heavily on his decisions. On the Russian side, an agreement is only as good as Putin’s word.


Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched a military operation in Ukraine, with explosions heard across the country and Ukraine’s foreign minister warning a “full-scale invasion” was under way. Excluding such data from climate models makes them less accurate, and the problem will get worse over time, a new study warns. Russian air defences have prevented a drone attack on an oil refinery in the city of Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow, the regional governor has said. Hungary has signalled it is ready to compromise on EU funding for Ukraine - after Brussels reportedly prepared to sabotage its economy if it did not comply.

Is this a renewal of the Cold War?
On the sixth day of the war in Ukraine, there have been more than 6,000 arrests at anti-war protests across Russia. Hours before the attacks began, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine made a dramatic televised plea to the people of Russia, saying he wanted to speak to them directly after Mr. Putin had rejected his phone call. While the defence alliance, Nato, and the US warn of an imminent invasion, many people are still unconvinced that war will happen or that it would be to Russia's advantage. "People were out on the streets last night in this city - they were waving the Ukrainian flag. https://euronewstop.co.uk/what-is-china-saying-about-ukraine.html said this was their land. They were going nowhere," she reported. The Ukrainian armed forces said they had shot down five Russian planes and a helicopter - which Russia denies - and inflicted casualties on invading troops.


Young Russians tell us about a war few wanted and how the sanctions are affecting their lives. “At the beginning, I took a favourable position [of the campaign], because even before February 24, I considered it necessary to eliminate the Ukrainian problem. But now time has passed, it’s become obvious that no positive outcomes are to be expected.

Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
One-quarter of respondents say they already feel the effect of those sanctions, according to Volkov. People who are from disadvantaged groups are suffering the most, he adds, because they don't have the resources to adapt. And as Russia's war in Ukraine continues, the U.S. and other Western allies are hitting it with more economic sanctions.


This results in skewed samples and inflates the level of support for the war. Where I am, people typically express their opinion at rallies, on social networks and among their inner circle. Usually, people will spread the word about protests secretly.


Sociologists and pollsters have tried to gauge opinion, but there is no freedom of speech or information in Russia so it is impossible to tell if people are being honest. One local family visiting St Petersburg were shocked to find nothing had changed while their own lives had been turned upside down. Hundreds of thousands of Russians have left Russia, including me and my BBC Russian colleagues.

If they are troubled by Russia bombing a city where many have friends and relatives, then they're trying not to show it. Because Putin’s plan to invade Ukraine was kept secret from the vast majority of Russians, the government had a limited ability to lay a propaganda groundwork that would get their soldiers motivated to fight. Daria, 35, a project manager in Moscow, said this meant he'd been unable to use the metro. Yet India also depends heavily on Russian-made weapons for its own defense and hopes to use its relationship with Russia to limit the Moscow-Beijing partnership. He says about 50% have "definite support" without any qualms, but the other 30% have support with reservations.
My Website: https://euronewstop.co.uk/what-is-china-saying-about-ukraine.html